UN agencies warn that rising temperatures and frequent heatwaves are reducing crop yields and threatening global food systems, affecting over a billion people worldwide.
Extreme weather is putting pressure on food production across the globe, with an estimated one billion people being affected, according to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Meteorological Organization. The report highlights the dangers posed by extreme weather on agricultural practices, animal husbandry, and fisheries.
As per the report, heat waves have become more common, longer, and stronger, interfering with the schedule of farming and resulting in poor output from agricultural regions. The moment the threshold of heat is crossed, there is a sudden fall in crop yields. Some of the crops that are negatively impacted due to increased temperatures include corn, wheat, and rice.
As per the statistics stated in the report, with each increase in average temperature by one degree, there is a drop of six percent in the yield of staple crops. For instance, in Morocco, following the onset of heat waves after an extended spell of droughts, cereal yields dropped by 40 percent.
According to the report, extreme temperatures are an emerging risk factor that aggravates the impacts of droughts, forest fires, and pest attacks. This set of stressors narrows the scope within which farming activities can be carried out.
It is projected that risks will continue rising due to warming. Specifically, the intensity of extremes of heat is projected to double at 2°C warming relative to 1.5°C and even more at higher temperatures.
To minimize risks to farmers and fishing communities, there is a call for more robust early warning systems and risk management measures that will help use information about weather patterns in changing planting and harvesting times.
Still, according to the findings, adaptation alone cannot guarantee protection from future warming effects on food supply and availability. There is an emphasis placed on the necessity of global efforts to limit warming for ensuring sustainable food production.
In this way, the growing connection between climate conditions and farming activities becomes evident.
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